A local painter who had spent years keeping his artwork away from public attention earned top honors at a newly established regional competition last month. The event, described as the first one-day western show of its kind in the region, culminated in a People's Choice Award; the winning entry was displayed at Tava House in Woodland Park during America's Mountain Festival.
The award-winning canvas, "The Crossing," portrays horses mid-stride through rushing water and is a framed oil measuring 30 inches by 18 inches, painted in earthy, natural tones. It is currently on view at Reserve Our Gallery for the duration of August.
The artist had long been occupied with other pursuits, leaving his paintings largely unseen by the community. He stepped into public view earlier this year through a March art show, and has since submitted work regularly to monthly exhibitions at Reserve Our Gallery as well as a separate show held at the Heritage Center in Cripple Creek. Multiple honors followed in quick succession, and he formalized his relationship with Reserve Our Gallery by joining as a permanent artist in May.
Two other artists also received recognition at the Western Art Show: one took home the Tava Award and another received the Peak Art Award. All three honorees were toasted at a champagne celebration, with 90 glasses poured for the occasion.
The Western Art Show is one of several events filling the regional arts calendar this summer, including the Peak Art Adventure exhibition at Reserve Our Gallery from August 5 through 25, which showcases entries across three categories: Mountains, Miniatures, and En Plein Air. A prize pool of $1,000 will be distributed to participating artists, with an awards ceremony and gallery reopening celebration scheduled for the evening of August 8. The gallery itself underwent renovations in mid-July and now has a brighter, more contemporary feel, with new vinyl installation funded through a microgrant involving the DDA, the Woodland Professional Building, and Reserve Our Gallery.
Victor Celebrates the Arts follows later in the season, running August 28 through September 7 in its 26th consecutive year. Every painting entered must be completed en plein air, meaning outdoors and observed directly from the subject, all within a ten-mile range of Victor's city hall; both professional and emerging painters depict scenes throughout the city and surrounding historic gold mining country from the 1890s. The competition includes upwards of 20 award categories, with total cash prizes surpassing $4,000.
Final attendance figures and a full prize breakdown for the Peak Art Adventure show have not yet been released.